IFA 2012 may not have officially started yet, but for Android fans today was a pretty big day. We saw a lot of news from Sony and Samsung, and of course Alex and Richard were right there to bring it all to those of us watching from home. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and beyond (you never know what you might see from the show floor), but let’s have a look at todays news in case you missed any of it.
The day started with the rocking music and dazzling light show that was Sony’s IFA 2012 press conference. There was three big items on the agenda, the Xperia T, the Xperia V, and the entry-level Xperia J. The Xperia T looks like Sony means business this year, with it’s 4.6-inch Reality HD display and the V comes in close behind with a 4.3-inch Bravia display of its own and LTE on board. The J looks to be a really solid offering for the teen in your life or a first-time smartphone purchase, and if priced right could be worth taking a good look at. Check them all out here, and be sure to have a look at the Xperia Tablet S hands-on and the Xperia TX hands-on previews.
We’ll also get a good look at the Xperia T in the hands of the Crown’s best man, Mr. James Bond, in the upcoming Skyfall film. Marketing — that’s how you move product.
Sony wasn’t happy with three new phones though, as they also announced the “splash-proof” Sony Xperia Tablet S. Looking a lot like its predecessor, the Tablet S features the NVIDIA Tegra 3 under the hood and will offer a full suite of accessories. Be on the lookout for things like keyboard covers, stands, docks, and speakers. We can’t wait to get our hands on this one!
As soon as Sony was done showing off, the fellas had to jet on over to see what Samsung had in store for their Mobile Unpacked 2012 show. With typical Samsung flair we got a look at two big new devices — the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy Camera.
The Galaxy Note 2 looks to be a worthy successor to this years model, which ended up being quite the hit for Samsung globally. Its 5.5-inch 720p SuperAMOLED HD display hides the quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. Running Jelly Bean makes this a device to consider. We’ll be looking at this one in more detail as soon as Samsung makes the units available, but for now be sure to check out the hands-on from Berlin.
Maybe the most intriguing thing we saw today was the Galaxy Camera. It’s a premium point and shoot, featuring a f2.8 23mm lens with a 21x optical zoom, that shoots 16.3MP pictures. Add in a 4.7-inch touchscreen, Samsung’s TouchWiz (based on Android 4.1), and all sorts of wireless connectivity and you’ve got our interest. Make no mistake — this isn’t Samsung attempting to make a “gimmiky” phone. This is a quality point and shoot camera that uses Android as its operating system. Android was designed for this sort of usage, and we’re excited to see it done. Have a look at the hands-on with the Galaxy Camera while we wait for release and pricing info.
And last but not least, you need to check out the IFA 2102 Podcast special, where Phil, Dan, Alex and Richard get down and dirty with everything we’ve heard so far. Be sure to keep an eye on Android Central, ’cause IFA 2012 is just getting started!